Tim Sheens, Jack Gibson, Warren Ryan, Wayne Bennett, Phil Gould, Brian Smith, Michael Hagen, Craig Bellamey, Neil Henry, Ivan Cleary (in fact you could list the majority of coaches of the last 30yrs) are all better coaches than they were players. Sometimes the best players struggle to pass on what they know because often they played on instinct rather than what they were taught. Teachers are teachers, not always brilliant in practice. Its their ability to get a message across that sets them apart. Maybe Johns has that ability, it appears that way with Cronks improvement to date.